The Indian dream: Great concepts cars of Indian origin
We are about to celebrate our 68th year of independence and in these years we have come a long way from being dependent on other countries for our automobiles to being self dependent when it comes to producing our own automobiles. Just like our forefathers, who had a vision for our future, we aim to celebrate this Independence Day by taking a look at the future of Indian automotive industry and to do so, we have listed down top 10 concept cars, which spawned from India.
Tata Hexa
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Tata Hexa concept is an image makeover of the not-so-successful Aria and a drastic one at that. The car features premium SUV design cues, a glossy black honeycomb meshing and a silver trough underlining. The car has dual-projector headlamps, sporty bumper with silver inserts, fog-lights and LED daytime running lights. Hexa has a 2.2-litre VARICOR 400 diesel engine, which has been modified to put out 156 PS and 400 Nm of torque. The engine will be coupled to a 6-speed manual transmission, which will distribute power to all four wheels.
DC Ambierod
The famous Ambierod was designed with inspiration derived from our beloved ‘Amby' and American Hotrods. When Ambierod was showcased at the Delhi Auto Expo and it was the most expensive car there. The luxury car featured an automated instrument panel with satellite navigation system, rear parking camera, three LCD screens, internet and video conferencing- enabled flatbed and multi-colored mood lighting. The car features retro-futuristic design cues.
Mahindra Komodo
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This concept is Mahindra's striking offering that is aimed to compete with other luxury brands across the world. Komodo has vintage and contemporary identities, which revert to Mahindra's affiliation with Willys. The concept is a futuristic car, which derives its power from a hybrid unit. The design objective of Makrand, who happens to be one of the designers of Komodo, was to ensure that the powerful design is kept alive. The key designing cues according to Markand were elegance, design aggressiveness and deep muscular lines.
DC Gaia
DC drew styling cues for this elegantly sporty concept from classic cars like the Bentley Blower and the Bugatti Royale. These cars have always been revered for their distinct profile and styling. Gaia was designed to symbolize power, grace and beauty. The car features aluminum machined inserts into the bumpers, 22 inch wheels and massive wheel arches.The interiors are a perfect example of metal and wood co-existing in perfect harmony. The interiors of the car are handcrafted in the finest leather and showcase subtle lines, angular aluminum accents, a central information screen and maple strip.
Tata Prima
Prima is a concept luxury saloon, which was designed by Pininfarina. The car is based on the Tata Indigo and was unveiled at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show. Tata Prima, spelled as “Pr1ma” is a ready-to-produce concept, which is expected to be launched by the end of 2015. The car is designed to impose elegance, style, luxury and provide comfort that matches highest standards. The proportions have been kept to maintain classical yet modern look. Large wheelbase of 2.70 meters, helps Pr1ma provide exceptional interior space, which is demanded of a luxury sedan. The car comes with a 1.6 or 1.8-litre petrol engine and an option of 1.8-litre common-rail diesel engine.
Mahindra Halo
Mahindra Halo is an electric sports car concept, which has been designed by a team from Mahindra REVA. The credentials of this design team are supported by its team members, which constitute designers from Pininfarina and Bertone. The car is capable of accelerating up to 100kmph from 0 in less than 8 seconds. Halo's top speed is 160 kmph and the car boasts a range of 200 km on a single charge. Officials have also made claims that the car can be completely recharged in one hour. The car is also expected to give a range of 25 km after a 15 minutes recharge. The electric motor used by Mahindra Halo, will belt out 105kW or around 140bhp of power.
DC Imperator
With this concept, DC attempts at making a SUV sensual. The inspiration was drawn from Formula 1 cars and the old man Enzo Ferrari himself. The car features a supercar stance with its high-spring chassis, a long wheelbase cab-forward look, large aperture gull wing doors, 28″ wheels tires and multi large lighting systems featured front back. The stance of the car was designed to mimic that of a Fighter Jet.
Bajaj U car
Bajaj unveiled a four-wheel concept based on the RE60 in the 2014 Auto Expo. The cars is called the U-Car and has a 4-valve, triple spark, fuel-injected liquid-cooled petrol engine with an automatic transmission. Bajaj has clarified that it does not intend on entering the four-wheeler passenger vehicle segment and the U-Car has been put on display to gather feedback on whether or not the concept should be put in production.
Tata Megapixel
Energy and dynamism of contemporary design in India is immaculately captured by the Tata Megapixel. Megapixel's design language is inspired from traditional Indian Architecture and is aimed to have a global appeal, which will also make it perfectly comfortable in New York or London. Car has a dynamic stance, sweeping silhouette and floating C-Pillar, which project Indian modernity and confidence.
DC Tia
DC Tia was revealed at the 2014 Auto Expo by none other than DC himself, accompanied by Kareena Kapoor. The concept is a two-seater city car and is powered by a 1.2-liter turbocharged petrol engine. The power-plant belts out 120 hp and 190Nm of torque. This engine is mated to a four speed gearbox. Tia has a carbon composite space frame chassis and features 18-inch alloy wheels, which have disc brakes on all four wheels. Wheelbase of the car is 1620 mm and it only weighs 950 kgs, which helps it achieve a top speed of 160 kmph and an acceleration of 0-100kmph in 9 seconds.
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